


How To Befriend Your Pet

by Matrioshka_City



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon)
Genre: Abuse, Betrayal, Cute, Dominance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Funny, Human/Vampire Relationship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Master/Pet, Master/Slave, Pet, Therapy, Trauma, Trust, Vampires, prisoner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:41:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23821726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matrioshka_City/pseuds/Matrioshka_City
Summary: A recent incident has left Lenore confused and worried. She's seeking out the help of a counselor to sort through her feelings in regards to keeping a certain kind of pets...
Relationships: Hector/Lenore (Castlevania)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

The old lady slowly lifted her head to take a good look at the person who had just entered her cell.

“Oh”, she said, “you’re not Morana. I don’t think we’ve met before. Hello.”

The stranger pulled up a chair. Since the prisoner was dangling from a set of chains, her legs dragging on the filthy ground, the stranger could now comfortably look her in the eyes.

Not that she took advantage of that, just yet. Indeed, the slender vampire lady seemed to be somewhat embarrassed. Even fidgety.  
“Uh… Greetings. I am Lenore. Morana… is my sister. She has told me about you.”

“Great”, the old lady chuckled, “Another sister. I’m truly blessed.”  
Inquisitively, she tilted her head.  
“However… Something tells me you are not here to torture me.”

The vampire frowned, but still seemed to be somewhat distracted. “Torture, right… It’s nothing personal, you know… Morana just likes to study human anatomy, and pain resistance. It’s not even… real torture, if you think about it...? Strictly speaking? It’s science…?”

The prisoner sighed.  
“Oh, I know, I know… You should have heard her the other day when she was praising my electrical conductivity… But again, that’s not why she recommended me to you, is it?”

The vampire looked up.  
“Morana says… back in your village, you were what they call ‘a wise woman’. Someone who… talks to people, and listens. Gives people medicine… and advice.”

The prisoner nodded.  
“I’m mostly just old, and have seen a lot of things. After watching a few generations of village life flow by like a slowly winding river, provided you live to tell the tale, you start noticing some patterns. If you bother to pay attention, that is. Vampires have even longer lives, of course, but from what I get, it’s the attention span you people are struggling with…”

“Right, right”, the vampire nodded, “Anyway, there’s something that’s been bothering me, these last few days, and I thought, maybe I could use a… human perspective on this.”

The old lady mockingly raised her hands.  
“I’m not going anywhere soon… So…?”

“Right!”, the vampire said, now sounding a bit more determined, “See, I… No, I mean, I have this ACQUAINTANCE. Yes! An Acquaintance. A… human, in fact. We do business with free humans, sometimes! Can’t get around it, really, humans are everywhere. I’m… a bit of a diplomat, you see? I handle… “inter-species” relations. Anyway, this HUMAN, it’s… a MAN… named… Uh… Speibel… and he’s a merchant. A very rich and powerful one...”

The old lady nodded.  
“Go on?”

It was entertaining to watch Lenore’s face as she was spinning her tale. The wise woman almost thought she could hear the gears turning in the princess’ head. 

“…Speibel, he has a lot of enemies, and rivals. His biggest rival was a man named… Thaddäus… And for years they sort of fluctuated between being allies and enemies, but finally, Speibel got the better of his competitor. Thaddäus’ business was ruined, and Speibel took advantage of the situation, like a vulture. He pretended to be merciful and offered his help, and Thaddäus, believing that he had nothing left to lose, signed every contract Speibel put under his nose, desperately hoping for a new beginning.

When Thaddäus realized what he had done, it was already too late. Speibel had taken his former rival’s last and greatest treasures – his dignity, and his freedom.

Thaddäus now had to work for Speibel and obey his every command, or be thrown out into the streets and chased down by his bloodthirsty creditors, who wanted to make an example of him. Thaddäus was helping Speibel to run his business, yes, but he was also a lowly servant who had to cook for Speibel, clean his house, help him put on his clothes and take his daily bath…”  
Lenore chuckled and her face lit up as she listed all of these humiliations, as if they were especially sweet memories.

“…Sometimes, Thaddäus would even… hehe… warm Speibel’s bed, at night.”  
The vampire’s mouth twitched, as if she had just stopped herself from drooling a little.

“…Speibel of course was very, very happy. He would take Thaddäus with him wherever he went, dressing him up in fine clothes and jewelry and parading him in front of his business partners. Yes, The Legendary Thaddäus, now an asset and a plaything of Speibel, for all the world to see, a trophy!

But it was more than that… Speibel loved to feel Thaddäus’ hands on his skin… the sound of his voice… Would watch his servant in silence as Thaddäus cleaned the floors of his house on all fours, the morning sun dancing on his long, luxurious hair…  
It could have been wonderful, but then, one day, not too long ago…”

Lenore took a deep breath – only to release tension, of course, and perhaps also for dramatic effect, since breathing was entirely optional for vampires.  
“So, Speibel and Thaddäus are sitting under a tree in Speibel’s garden, and they talk, as they often do, about big things and small, they joke and tease each other, and suddenly Speibel smiles and pulls out an exquisite silk scarf that he puts around Thaddäus’ shoulders.

But Thaddäus, he… He flinches. Visibly flustered, he thanks Speibel for the gift, but for a brief moment, Speibel feels his servant tensing up, drawing away fom his hands, and all of a sudden, a horrible thought starts growing in his mind, and his blood runs cold.

Thaddäus… doesn’t trust him! Even now, when it’s just the two of them, sitting together in their little garden, even as Speibel smiles at him and offers him a gift, Thaddäus is AFRAID.  
Hect… I mean, Thaddäus is ALWAYS afraid. He has been hurt and humiliated so much, Speibel thinks, what if he instinctively believes every kind word and gesture of mine is just part of an even MORE elaborate trap, something to – somehow! - humiliate and destroy him even further, in ways he cannot even understand yet? Thaddäus is always, always suspicious and scared. Under his calm, composed facade and even occasional sarcasm and playfulness… his nerves are completely raw. Thaddäus is scared of Speibel.  
Speibel owns Thaddäus’ body, and his mind… but Thaddäus’ heart… it fears him, flees away from him...

And Speibel… he feels so cold inside… Like there is a dark hole in his stomach…”

Lenore raised her head and looked the wise woman in the eyes again.  
“Speibel is very upset. In fact, he can hardly sleep anymore, and when I asked him what was wrong, he was so relieved to be finally able to open up to someone, even from a whole different breed, it all spilled out at once…”

The old lady tilted her head.  
“I sense this is where you’re actually gonna ask me your question?”

Lenore nodded.  
“It’s such an intriguing tale… I can’t help but wonder… What in the world could Speibel do to win Thaddäus over? How could he move past his defenses? So that Thaddäus is truly happy to see him, feels safe around him…?”

The prisoner smiled.  
“It depends, I guess…”

Lenore was at the edge of her seat.  
“Yes?”

The prisoner sighed again.  
“See, it seems to me, this question is really hiding another question.

What is it that… Speibel wants? I mean, really?

If she – I mean, he - wants ‘Thaddäus’ to trust him, I suppose there ARE ways to manipulate him. It’s ultimately just another battle of wits, is it not? Certainly, if Speibel is really all that smart, he will be able to outmaneuver Thaddäus’ paranoia the same way he outsmarted his rival before. Always be one step ahead of him, spinning promises and reassurances so fast that Thaddäus simply cannot keep up with it. Keep him so busy and tired that his vigilance and ego get eroded by the routine of daily life and the habit of being close to his master at all times. I can think of at least a dozen ways Speibel could butter him up and take the edge off his fears, in the long run.”

“Yes?”, Lenore beamed. 

“But!”, the old lady said with a sardonic grin, “Is that REALLY what Speibel wants? See, you can achieve a great many things with power and lies… But if – and I’m just talking out of my wrinkly old ass here – if Speibel actually wants Thaddäus to be his friend, maybe even his lover, and not just his VICTIM… then all of this is really about Speibel, isn’ it? It’s really Speibel who needs to be vulnerable, and open, and genuine… and yes, absolutely expose himself to rejection. Frankly, I don’t know if Thaddäus will ever be able to trust him, freely, without manipulation, with open eyes… but I DO know that unless Speibel is willing to become truly trustworthy in the first place, Thaddäus’ will NEVER be his. A hostage, a mark, a puppet, yes, but never TRULY his. Because for that to happen, if it is ever going to happen at all… well, there is no way around it. They have to be equals.”

Lenore lowered her eyes, chewing on her lower lip.

The prisoner nodded towards her.  
“So Speibel will have to do some soul-searching. Find out what it is she – I mean, he – truly wants. You can be a master and owner or a friend and lover… but not both, my child. Never both. Not like this.”

Lenore frowned a little. "...Uh, I am a few centuries older than you."

"You are a very old child, then."

Lenore closed her eyes and rose up from her chair.  
“…Thank you, wise woman. You have… actually given me a lot to think about.”

The prisoner laughed.  
“My pleasure. Same time next week? You could even bring ‘Thaddäus’, if you want, I also do couple therapy!”

Lenore flinched, but couldn’t repress a little smile.


	2. A Pet Changes A Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lenore is taking her position as Hector's handler very seriously. If only her sisters were a bit more cooperative...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so I decided I might expand this into a collection of short vignettes; probably gonna bring the "therapy sessions" back as well, if I find the inspiration for another scene like that.

Carmilla raised an eyebrow.  
"Yes, Lenore, love?"

Lenore nodded.  
"Now that we got the main bullet points for tonight's meeting out of the way, I'd like to take a moment to discuss a... personnel issue."

She looked at Hector, standing silently in one of the darker corners of the conference room.  
"In that spirit, I would like to ask our forge master to take his leave for tonight. Go to bed, Hector. That’s a good boy."

Hector couldn’t keep himself from rolling his eyes, but made a quick half-bow and went outside.

Lenore cleared her throat.  
"Our recent operations are starting to put a strain on our resources. That was to be expected. Our forge master in particular is saddled with an ever-increasing work load. That's what I want to talk about. Respectfully, I would like to remind all of you, dear sisters, that Hector is a FINITE resource..."

Lenore frowned when she noticed Carmilla's irreverent smirk.  
"To put it bluntly, it cannot go on like this. Using Hector for an ever-increasing number of ‘side projects’ will inevitably lead to exhaustion. It's already starting to take its toll on the poor thing. He literally collapsed when I was feeding on him the other night..."

"Scrawny boy", Striga scoffed.

"... Hungry girl", Morana said.

"... THIRSTY girl", Carmilla echoed.

Lenore snapped.  
"This has NEVER happened before! When it comes to Hector, I can assure you that my eating habits are perfectly sustainable! No, this is entirely because all of YOU keep distracting him! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that building our armies was of the highest priority. Beyond that... Could we maybe cut down on the target practice..."

"And throwing practice", Striga said.

"...The scientific experiments..."

"I think I am on the verge of discovering a new organ", Morana declared.

"...And, oh, I don't even WANT to know what CARMILLA is doing with him when I'm not looking. Hector seems to be really distressed about it. More than usual, in any case. Screams your name sometimes, when I wake him up."

"I shall tell you when you least expect it", Carmilla said with a mysterious smile, licking her lips. "Anyway, when it comes to using Hector for 'side projects', we all know the prime offender, don't we?"

"Yes. True", Lenore said with an exasperated sigh, "Counterpoint: It was ME who brought him to heel. It stands to reason that I should have privileged access. I'm his handler!"

"There is a lot of 'handling' involved, oh yes", Carmilla said, "Alright, alright, stop looking at me like that, little sister. This is exactly like the time you got mad at me for using your favorite hairbrush..."

"It's NOTHING like that!", Lenore protested. “Could you be serious about this for five minutes? The forge master is one of our most important assets.”

Carmilla shrugged.  
"Whatever. You just have to learn to keep an eye on your material possessions, or the tools of your trade, if you prefer... If they really mean all that much to you. Oh, but you are right, of course... You are 'the handler', whatever you say it is, is how it is... Frankly, I couldn't care less."

There it was again, that insufferable smirk.  
'Until I could, that is', that smirk said.

"He's just a human, Lenore", Striga said, shaking her head, "Don't get attached like that. But don't worry... I'm not gonna break your little pet. Less 'Hector-ball' for me, I guess."

"I agree", Morana said, "The troops are our biggest priority. Guess I will have to wait a little longer to find out whether or not a man really has taste buds on his..."

"THANK YOU", Lenore said.

She shook her head.  
Striga was always talking so tough, but just the other night, Lenore had caught her slipping Hector a chicken leg. Striga said that it was because she was disgusted and offended by how skinny Hector looked, but she had been uncharacteristically embarrassed about that little episode, alright. In a similar vein, Lenore was pretty sure that Morana spent at least as much time talking to Hector about her theories than she spent testing those theories on his person. As for Carmilla... Carmilla's meddling and gas-lighting only got worse the more she noticed how dedicated Lenore was to this particular task.

Lenore took a deep breath. For better or worse, Hector was the family pet.

…

She put a hand on her empty stomach with a wistful sigh.  
Priority access, though...

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, we don't know where Lenore's and Hector's... relationship will ultimately lead. Knowing Castlevania, it's entirely possible they end up at each other's throats and one or both of them are destroyed. Maybe they won't really have to do so much with each other at all, and their little arc in the last season was just some non sequitur.  
> But I'm fairly confident this little piece is gonna fit in with canon, which ever way it goes.


End file.
